Timaru NZ

1.
Posted byRicardo(Budding Member 79 posts) 11y
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Hey guys,Just looking in to New Zealand a little more before I head off on my RTW.A friend of a friend said to me that Timaru on the south islnd is a lovely place to stay for a while.Everything I have read though on the net says a different thing.Just wanted to get the opinions of anyone who has been there or lives there etc.Cheers

2.
Posted bySander(Moderator 5297 posts) 11y
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I visited a friend who lived in Timaru. It seemed like a pretty nice place to live, with nice parks, a nice beach and decent shops, cafes and restaurants. But it's also a really small South Island city (barely more than a village), with just really nothing much of anything to do for a visitor. Might be just your thing, but definitely not a place I'd recommend for more than a day's stopover to most people.

I lived in Fairley for a year, tiny village roughly an hour from Timaru. Believe me Timaru is just your regular kinda NZ city, really nothing special. No distinctive land marks or anything. Wouldn't exactly go out of my way for it.

4.
Posted bystevieh(Respected Member 615 posts) 11y
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Whoa, hold on, don't anybody call Timaru a 'city'! That's mighty misleading.We used it as a stopover for our first night after arriving in Christchurch. And while I can't say anything bad about it, I have to say I see no particular reason for a tourist to stop by.But, as has been said, a lot of towns on the South Island are like this -that's what you get here.I didn't do research, but I currently live in an English village of about 5000 residents, and I would be surprised if Timaru was much bigger.So, if you're the quiet type and want a nice base to explore from (or work in), it might be fine, but don't expect it to keep you entertained.

[ Edit: Edited on Mar 24, 2007, at 2:46 AM by stevieh ]

5.
Posted bySander(Moderator 5297 posts) 11y
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Quoting stevieh

I didn't do research, but I currently live in an English village of about 5000 residents, and I would be surprised if Timaru was much bigger.

Timaru has a population of about 27,000, both according to my Lonely Planet and to the population database we use for the travel maps.

But yes, "small South Island city". Not as boring as some (Gore, anyone?), but still very much a place devoid of most activity, with "nice" and "pleasant" being about the best things to say about it.

6.
Posted byRicardo(Budding Member 79 posts) 11y
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Thanks for that.I think I will definately be limiting my stay there to 2 nights at the most then.Cheers for now